Mobile electronic devices have rapidly evolved over the past several years. Portable handheld radios that were once capable of providing audio output of received broadcast radio signals have been replaced with PMP or MP3 audio players, many of which have radios integrated within them. A portable media player (PMP) or digital audio player (DAP) is a consumer electronics device that is capable of storing and displaying digital media such as audio, video, images, and documents. Data is typically stored on a hard drive, Microdrive, or a flash memory. In contrast, analog portable audio players play music from cassette tapes, records, or discs. Often digital audio players are sold as MP3 players, even if they support other file formats. Other types of electronic devices like cellphones or smart phones, tablet and laptop computers, and digital cameras may be referred as PMPs because of playback capabilities. Mobile and smart phones have advanced significantly since the release of the first cell phone technology and what was initially released as a portable phone that could be taken out of the home into the car solely for the purposes of making phone calls, has turned into a handheld computer having more processing power, capability, and features than early personal computers.
In order to allow for continued and mobile use of mobile electronic devices, chargers which provide power to the device may be utilized. Chargers for mobile electronic devices come in many forms including plug in, solar powered chargers, portable charges that plug into transportation vehicles, and battery operated rapid portable chargers. It is common for mobile electronic devices to run out of power and stop working while being used in outdoor areas, like for example when sitting outdoors in an outdoor type chair. Many times, a power outlet or other method of charging will not be available near the outdoor chair to allow the consumer to continue using the mobile electronic device for music, video, phone calls or other uses.
Chairs for outdoor leisure may be embodied in many forms including but not limited to, patio and deck, pool side, and beach chairs. Some of these chairs are solid and configured in a fixed position, while some may be adjustable for comfort, or foldable for portability. Outdoor chairs can be used during both day and night, in all types of terrain, and weather including rain, snow, cloudy weather, and sunshine.
Mobile electronic devices may be used while sitting in a beach chair or the like, and a user may not be able to handle the mobile electronic device due to sand, water, and/or sun lotion that may be on the consumer's hands. Such terrain or weather may prevent the consumer from interfacing with the mobile electronic device in several ways, such as placing and removing head phones, controlling volume, selecting audio or video for playback, or other interfacing activity.
As mentioned, when used outdoors, and in an outdoor chair, headphones and/or ear buds may often be used in place of built in speakers allowing the user of the mobile electronic device to avoid broadcasting audio to other people nearby that may not wish to hear it. The use of headphones or ear buds may provide additional problems in some weather or terrain if the user needs to repeatedly interface with the headphones and has dirt, sun lotion, sand or water on the hands. This can dirty, contaminate and/or damage the mobile electronic device and/or headphones. Headphones and ear buds also restrict the user of these devices from sufficiently hearing ambient sound which in many cases is desirable or even needed.
Portable speakers may be used with mobile electronic devices as an alternative to headphones in such environments, however, existing prior art portable speaker designs for mobile electronic devices are not designed to mount on outdoor chairs. Existing speakers would need to be placed on the ground near the chair, or on the foot of the chair if it is a long outdoor lounge chair and provides the required additional space. The prior art portable speakers used in such a way do not provide the user with a good method of listening to music or other audio output with the degree of privacy that headphones do. Additionally, existing speakers may provide a nuisance to other people located near the individual using existing speakers as others would be subjected to hearing the audio output from the portable speakers. In order to have privacy and avoid becoming a nuisance to those around them, the user of the mobile electronic device and portable audio speakers generally has to place the speakers near their head and/or ears at low volume or leave them distant and turn the volume down on the audio output to a level that may also prevent the user themselves from hearing the audio output at a desired level of sound.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other issues.